The Hidden Power
by TsukiMegami
Summary: Naraku - 'I created this item in hopes of putting my enemy into a human body, and mine in that of a youkai. I never intended upon this happening' (R&R please! inukik sanmir COMPLETE)
1. Deep Within the Onigumo Cave

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters... duh. 

This is my first fic, so R&R please! I want to know what you think of it before I add the next chapter ^_^ 

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Outside of the cave know as Onigumo's, a young girl in a school uniform was sitting on a rock looking a bit uneasy. Near her was another girl clad in armor, a young man with a long golden staff, and a child with a large and rather furry tail. The girl sighed and gazed into the darkness within the small cave opening, whispering quietly to herself. "Inuyasha, where are you?" 

Meanwhile, within the cave itself, a hanyou in a fire rat kimono was walking cautiously. He had found a secret path leading further into the cave, and was searching for the rumored power that lies within it. "Kuso, this cave will never end.." He muttered, angrily. "Naraku, I, Inuyasha, will find the power you have hidden in this cave, and use it to destroy you!" Inuyasha announced, even though nobody was around to hear him. 

The companions waited patiently outside, until the sun began to set. The group was silent, but their minds were all focused on their inu friend. The armored girl stood up, slinging a giant weapon around her shoulder. "I'm going in." She said, not looking down at the rest of her comrades. "Sango, isn't it a bit dangerous? You heard Inuyasha, and he demanded that we did not follow." The monk stated, looking up at her. 

Sango shook her head. "He's got to be insane if he thinks he's going through there alone. Miroku, stay here with Kagome and Shippou." He hesitated, yet nodded. "Alright. be careful, Sango. If Naraku has hidden something of great value in there, then I highly doubt that it'd be unguarded." Sango nodded, looking down at him. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." With that, she entered the cave and soon after disappeared into its shadows. 

"I can't see a damn thing..." Inuyasha complained, holding his hands out infront of him as to not crash into anything. Ahead of him, he saw a dim blue light. Was this the power he had been seeking for so long? Getting excited, Inuyasha sped up. The light grew brighter, and he knew he was close. The tunnels came to an end as he entered a small cavern, lit by a bright blue light that shone beautifully. The light came from a small sphere floating in the air. "I think... I think this is it!" He said, a smile forming on his face. 

Approaching the sphere with almost not caution at all, he reached out his hand to take it. His claws began to sink into the sphere, and it was transparent so he could even see inside of it. ~What's wrong with this stupid thing?!~ Inuyasha thought, but as soon as his finder reached the dead center, he could not move. Had this thing paralyzed him? He watched in wonder as the blue light change colors. It went from blue to green, then yellow following that, and orange after yellow. 

As soon as it had first started changing, Inuyasha felt less stiff. He had a feeling he could move again, but should he? Well, he wasn't going to just sit there all day watching the colors of the rainbow flashing before his eyes. 

He quickly withdrew his hand, and the color was green as he did so. It didn't change again and stuck to green, and released a small beam of the same color trough Inuyasha and it continued passing though the cave. It had passed through Sango and she quickly turned to look after it. "What was that- huh?!" She cut off herself, listening to the sound that came out of her mouth. It wasn't her voice, but it was quite familiar. 

The beam of light dashed out of the cave and passed through Miroku, Kagome, and Shippou, going in a random direction after that. Inuyasha blinked, wondering what had happened and if he had the power. He felt strange, but not as if he had power. Inuyasha felt weaker. What did that sphere do to him? He gazed at it, but after a few minutes it stopped glowing and turned solid, falling to the cave of the floor with a soft thump. Springing to the ground he felt around the cold cave floor and found it. He picked it up and looked around once again, trying to remember where the exit was. by feeling along the sides he found it, and followed then thin path. 

After a few hours, he could see the exit. Relieved, he proceeded forward. Something stopped him, though. He had bumped into someone. Backing up a bit he squinted, trying to make out the figure. Sango was the one he had ran into, and she squinted as well. Both of them stopped focusing on their eyesight's at the same time, realizing who eachother were. 

"Kikyou!" Inuyasha said in an odd yet familiar voice, while Sango said "Kohaku!" at the same time. They looked at eachother, frozen in shock. Something was defiantly irregular. 


	2. Ai Shiteru

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, okay? 

Gomen! I skipped a chapter! This chapter used to be # 3, and number 3 was #4, and number... (you get the point) sorry if it was confusing when you read it before! though I sorta lost chapter the real chapter two, so I'll just update this chapter two to fill in a few things, okay? So instead of getting the real chapter two in, I'm going to give you two chapters in this one being the lazy bum I am. Even though it'll count as one chapter. 

But would this be chapter 2, or chapter 3? or both of them in chapter two? or just one long chapter? Or...   
Wow, confusing. 

Baka - Stupid/Idiot   
Sumimasen - Excuse me   
Ai shiteru - I love you   
Arigatou - Thank you   
Gomen nasi - I'm sorry   
ookami - wolf   
youkai - demon 

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They each exchanged confused stares. "Kohaku? I't me! Sango!" Sango exclaimed. "Who the hell are you calling Kohaku?" Inuyasha asked. Sango blinked. Kohaku would never say anything in that kind of attitude. "..Inuyasha?" She asked, hardly believing it was true. "Who else could I be, Kikyou?" He asked, staring at her. "Look at yourself!" Sango replied. "You look exactly like my brother!" Inuyasha looked down at his body, and gasped. 

He no longer had his own body; he was Kohaku. "Your brother..." He paused. "Wait a minute -- Sango?!" Sango nodded. "Somethings wrong with you, Inuyasha!" "Something's wrong with me? What the hell are you doing in Kikyou's body?" "What are you --" Sango paused, and observed herself just as Inuyasha had done. She wasn't Sango, and he was'nt Inuyasha. She was Kikyou, and he was Kohaku. Kikyou looked up at Kohaku. "Inuyasha..." She began, shakily. "What happened since you entered his cave?" 

Kohaku hesitated, and then explained to her exactly what happened. The only part he failed to mention was that he took the item afterwards. "...and then I saw you." He finished. "Baka! What the hell did you think you were doing?! This was your fault!" Kikyou yelled, shortening Kohaku's temper. "Well what would the almighty demon exterminator have done?" "The almighty demon exterminator would have observed it first, to make sure it was safe! Did you forget that you were in the Cave of Onigumo?! BAKA!" 

"It doesn't matter if it's my fault or not, because we've got to leave this cave! Forget how it happened, let's just concentrate on getting us back again!" Kohaku shouted, and Kikyou had to admit that he had a point. "I guess you're right..." "Of course I'm right! Now let's go!" 

The two walked out of the cave, but those who greeted them on the outside put a frown on their faces. There was an ookami youkai with black hair, a kaze sorceress with a white fan, and an ugly little toad. Kohaku glared at the three of them. "So, you guys think that if you work together you'll stand a chance against me?" He asked, "Well think again!" He reached for the -- wait a minute, where was his Tetsusaiga?! ~SOMEONE STOLE MY-- Oh yeah, I'm in Kohaku's body now. DAMNIT!~ He instead held up the kusarikama. Kohaku held the chain and the blade. Kikyou had a bow and an arrow. These weapons couldn't be too hard to use, could they? 

There was only one way to find out. 

The answer? They were. Kohaku tried to throw the blade, but it fell to the ground less than 6 feet in front of him. Kikyou actually managed to fire the sacred arrow, but her aim wasn't exactly the best. It landed to the far right of the rightmost of the three, and stopped glowing with sacredyness(yes, sacredyness.) when it hit the ground. They were about to begin their secnd attempts, but 

"Wait!" Kagura yelled. "It may look like it, but we're not your enemies! Don't attack us!" She said, in an almost pleading voice. "She's telling the truth! Don't shoot us!" Jaken squeaked. Kouga nodded, and stepped foreward. "We speak the truth. I am Miroku, Kagura is Kagome, and Jaken is Shippou. We figured that the same happened to you Inuyasha, and you as well Sango." He said calmly, as Kohaku crossed his arms. ~He thinks he's so smart...~ He thought, and Kikyou blushed in embarrasment. "Sorry for attacking you; we weren't too sure what happened ourselves. Inuyasha caused it, though." 

Kouga couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Ah, so it was Inuyasha's fault now was it?" "Shut up!" Kohaku yelled. He explained what happened for a second time, but this time making it sound like he didn't do anything and it was the sphere's fault. Kikyou rolled her eyes. 

"We'll fix this tomorrow." Kagura stated, with a yawn. Her yawn caused Kohaku and Kikyou to yawn as well. "Right now we could all use some rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll go find Naraku and ask him how to reverse it." The other four of them looked at Kagura with an expression that reads 'Are you out of your mind?!'. "Kagome... what makes you think he will help us?" Kouga asked. "Oh, that's simple!" She said, with confidence. "It probably happened to him as well, and he'll want his own body back as much as we want ours!" "But what if it _didn't_ happen to him?" Kikyou asked. 

"Well, then we'll just have to wing it." Kagura shrugged. Kohaku sighed. "Fine. First thing in the morning, we seek out Naraku. Sound good?" The rest of them nodded, and with that, they all got some shut eye. 

~~~ 

Kohaku awakened early that morning, and got to his feet. Truth was, he barely slept at all that night. He stood up, and looked down at his comrades. Then he looked up into the sky, and saw the sun was almost directly above their heads. Thinking that they should find away to reverse what had happened to them, he needed to wake the others. Finding the easiest and fastest way he could, Kohaku took a deep breath. 

"GET UP!!!" He yelled, at nearly the top of his lungs. Sure enough, they all sprung awake. "Why did you have to do that?" Kikyou asked, sitting up and rubbing one of her eyes. "That's because he's a stubborn jerk!" Kagura replied, standing up. "Osuwari!" Kohaku winced, waiting for her words to take action. Nothing happened. Kohaku blinked, and looked down at his chest. 

"Ha! I'm in Kohaku's body, baka! That won't work!" Kohaku stated, proudly. At least this human body wasn't too pathetic. "And since Kagome is in Kagura's body, she can't do it even if you were Inuyasha." Jaken said, reaching his feet. Kagura looked a bit disappointed. ~Oh well, I'll get him back for everything when we're out of this mess. Let me see here... One for making this happen in the first place, and one for waking us early. That's two.~ She plotted in her head, and from now on keeping track of how many times she is to say 'osuwari'. ~Oh, and one more for calling me an idiot.~ Kagura's thoughts seemed to cheer her up. 

Kouga stood up, and the others who were still on the ground did the same. "How shall we go about returning to our normal states?" Kouga pondered aloud. Kohaku had been thinking about that almost all night, therefor had an answer. "We're going to seek out Naraku, or whoever his body was switched with. That sphere was in _his_ cave, so he should know how to fix it." Kagura hesitated slightly, not sure if this plan of his would work or not. 

"What makes you think that Naraku will aid us?" Kikyou asked, doubtfully. "How do we even know that this happened to Naraku as well, for that matter?" Kouga added. If the sphere was indeed crafted by Naraku, then wouldn't he block the effects from happening to himself in some magical way? 

"At lease two of his minions were affected. Probably Kanna as well." Kohaku said, simply. "Sumimasen?" Kikyou cut in, looking angered. "Kohaku is not a minion of Naraku!" She yelled, and Kohaku glared at her. "Naraku has taken control of your little brother, and that makes him as good as a minion!" "That's a lie!" Kikyou spat, even though she knew that Kohaku was pretty accurate in his statement. 

"Feh, whatever you say. You know that he is, you just won't accept it." Kohaku murmured quietly, crossing his arms. Kikyou took a step towards him. "Say that to my face, baka!" She reached over her shoulder and placed her hand on the bow. "You guys!" Came the voice of Jaken. "Stop fighting! We're supposed to be working together!" Kagura nodded in agreement. "Ja- I mean Shippou -- is right." 

Glancing at the other four, Kouga spoke. "Well then, shouldn't we be off now?" Kohaku nodded. "Right. Let's go find Naraku." Kohaku lead the way as they began to make there way towards the forest. 

After a few hours of aimless wandering, Kagura pointed out a very familiar looking branch. Insisting that he knew where he was going and not traveling in circles, Kohaku continued to lead them. After Kikyou spotted that same branch for a second time and Kouga noticing the group's tracks on the ground, Kagura replaced Inuyasha in taking the lead. 

They didn't have to go very far until they heard voices, and very well known voices at that. One of them spoke. "You may find it hard to believe, but I am not who I appear!" Gaining interest in what this mysterious person said, Kagura lead them closer. When near enough, they hid behind a few bushes and trees so they could not be seen. Kagura struggled to not let out a gasp when she saw that Miroku was the one who spoke, and Kagome was facing him. 

~So that means that those two must be..~ Kagura began, but Kohaku finished her though in words. "Kouga and Kagura." He whispered, keeping his voice low so they could eavesdrop. "I see. Then who _are_ you?" Kagome asked. "I'm Kouga. Last night I saw some sort of green light, and it went through me. Before I knew it, my appearance was changed. You must believe me, Kagome!" Miroku said, in a pleading sort of way. 

Kagome smiled, and walked towards Miroku. She them embraced him. "Oh Kouga, of course I believe you." She then spoftly spoke the words "Ai shiteru." This shocked him, as well as Kohaku and Kagura. Miroku told Kagome that he felt the same way. Kohaku shot a glare at Kagura, as though suspecting that those words were how Kagome actually felt for Kouga. Kagura didn't seem to notice this, though. She clenched her fist. ~Yeah, right! What does Kagura think she's doing? Posing as me! Hmph!~ 

Miroku returned the embrace, but then Kagome backed out of it. "Kouga, since you're in Miroku's body, then you must have his three jewel shards with you, right?" Miroku paused for a moment, then found that he did indeed have three jewel shards at the time. "Yes, I do. Why?" Kagome smiled. "Kouga, you must give them to me." Miroku paused at this. "You're going to give them to that *inu-koro, aren't you?" His voice raised suspicion. 

Kagome looked as though she were going to burst into tears at any given moment. "I have never liked Inuyasha! He just uses me as a jewel detector! Do you not trust me? Am I not your woman anymore?" Kagura had to admit that she sure did know what it was like to be Kagome. ~Maybe she's right... Maybe Inuyasha does use me for nothing save a jewel detector...~ 

Miroku looked relieved. "Of course I trust you. You may have them." He placed three jewel shards into Kagome's hand. "Arigatou." She said, and then began to walk away. "Kagome, wait!" Miroku called, outstretching his hand. "You're not just going to leave, are you?" Kagome stopped, and turned around to face Miroku. "Oh, gomen nasi. How could I have ever forgotten?" A smirk stretched across Kagome's face as she brought her arms behind her shoulders and placed them around her bow and an arrow. She held up the bow and readied the arrow for fire. She was still facing Miroku. 

His eyes widened. "What are you doing, Kagome?!" He asked in shock, and Kagome's smirk widened. "It is time..." She placed the arrow on the string, and pulled back. The arrow was pointed at his heart. "...For you to die." Kagome released the arrow. 


	3. Naraku's Evil Plot

Disclaimer: Nope, Inuyasha is not mine. 

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Miroku attempted to avoid it, but there was very little time to act. Since this was done through Kagome's body, it wasn't just any arrow. It was a sacred arrow. Before it was able to pierce Miroku, another sacred arrow was shot from a different direction. The second arrow hit the one shot by Kagome, and lead it off course. The two arrows landed a few yards to the left of Miroku, and the light energy that surrounded them faded. Miroku looked relieved. He had really thought that he was going to die. Kagome looked astounded. "What the hell? Why aren't you dead?!" She demanded of him. 

Kagome looked around and almost immediately spotted who saved Miroku. Kikyou was holding the bow, and so was Kagura. Working together, Kikyou used her sacred arrow and Kagura used her decent aim to save him. They had fired the arrow together. Kagura ran in front of Miroku, and spread out her arms as though blocking further attacks. "I won't let you kill him! Not unless you want your own body to suffer as well!" She said loudly, and Kagome took a step back. "Damnit" She murmured, but at least she had gotten the jewel shards. She turned around, and ran. Kohaku, Kouga, Kikyou, and Jaken ran up next to Kagura. 

"C'mon!" Kohaku shouted, even though there was no need to raise his voice. "She's probably going to Naraku's castle; we've got to follow her!" Kohaku looked as though he were about to star running, until Kagura told him to wait. "I've seen Kagura do this before, maybe I can too." She said, and pulled a feather out of her hair. 

"Could someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Miroku asked, and then Kouga began to explain who each of them were and how this all happened. Kagura tossed the small feather lightly on the ground, and it magically grew so it was large enough to hold all of them. Grinning, she sat down on it and beckoned the others to do the same. They all did so, including Miroku. 

Miroku crossed his arms and glared at Kohaku. "What the hell did you think you were doing, inu-koro? Causing all of this shit to occur..." He asked, in an angered way. Kohaku returned the glare. "You think I'd actually want to be this baka nigen? Feh!" The feather rose into the sky, and from above Kagura controlled it to follow Kagome. She was sure that this would lead them directly to Naraku's castle. 

Kohaku took out the sphere and held it in the palm of his hand. He blinked, and concentrated on it. There was something different about it. It seemed to be a bit darker since he first picked it up. "What's that?" Kikyou asked him, catching sight of the sphere. "This is what the light came from..." Kohaku replied, quietly. Kikyou looked astonished. "You mean you have it?" "Well, yeah." He said, looking over at her. "I picked it up before I left the cave. Is that a bad thing?" Kikyou didn't answer his question. "Why didn't you tell us?" "Why didn't you ask?" He replied, raising an eyebrow. 

Before they could get further on the subject, Kagura pointed downward. "Look! There it is! It's Naraku's castle!" Kohaku put away the sphere as the feather landed, then shrank. Kagura picked it up and tied it back in her hair. "We're here." "Thanks for stating the obvious." Kohaku muttered, sarcastically. "Naraku!" He raised his voice. "I know you're in there! Reveal yourself!" 

A door slid open, four people walked out. Kagome, Rin, and Inuyasha were there, and the one leading them was Sesshomaru. "Fool." Sesshomaru said, quietly. "You wish to challenge me even now?" Kohaku shook his head, glaring at him. Sesshomaru chuckled softly. "I see. I know why you have come. Do you have the sphere with you?" 

"Yes. Now undo this spell!" Kohaku demanded. "In order to do that..." Sesshomaru began, staring coldly into his eyes. "You must find your brother. He possessed my body, and my power as well. Only he will be able to undo it. Once you find him, be so kind as to return here..." His tone seemed to be untrustworthy, and amused. "And what if we don't?" Kouga asked, glaring at them. 

"Then I will see to it that Inuyasha and Kagome die." He hissed, cruelly. "Their bodies serve under me, now." He smirked. Kohaku hesitated. They all seemed to have the idea that this was a trap, yet what could they do about it? Finally, he nodded. "All right, Naraku. What do you want me to do?" Sesshomaru smirked again. "The sphere you have is darker than when you first saw it, correct?" Kohaku gazed at him, nodding. How did he know all of this? 

"Since you activated it last night, then we have to reverse it by tonight. Tonight, if the sphere turns black while we're still like this, then we'll all be stuck in these bodies forever." This seemed to be the only thing Sesshomaru didn't grin about so far. "If you manage to succeed, then our spirits will go to our bodies. Now, leave.. I shall await your return." 

Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. She pointed southward. "Your brother isn't too far." Kohaku nodded, and turned around. He began to walk, and was followed by Kagura, Jaken, Kouga, Miroku, and Kikyou. 

Sesshomaru waited until they were out of sight, then he and his minions returned inside the castle. ~Yes Inuyasha... Go and do my bidding...~ He glanced over at Kagome and smirked. ~I'll be waiting...~ 


	4. Another Ally

Disclaimer: You know by now that I don't own any of them already, right? -_- 

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They went on for several moments without as much as saying a word to each other. Kikyou seemed to be walking at a slower pace than the others, and was falling behind. Kohaku glared behind him. "Come on! In case you've already forgotten, we don't have forever to do this!" He spat. Kikyou walked as if it was a great challenge, and she felt her legs weakening with each step. "I-I'm trying.." She uttered quietly, and found herself beginning to fall. Instead of the ground, though, Kohaku had his arms held out and caught her. "Kikyou..." He murmured, as she looked up at him with somber eyes. 

Kohaku didn't know what to think. He knew that this wasn't Kikyou, but that fact seemed to be hidden from him at the moment. Each of them were seeing someone who they loved dearly. "A-Arigatou..." Kikyou said quietly. Kohaku nodded, as a way of saying your welcome. Kohaku helped Kikyou get to her feet, and they embraced each other. A strange light was coming towards them, and when near enough they could tell that it was Kikyou's Shinidamachuu, and each of them was carrying a soul. The released the souls above Kikyou, and they sank into her body. 

Kikyou watched them. The thing that was keeping Kikyou among the living were souls of dead women. She knew that this was wrong, but couldn't exactly do anything about it. Besides, they were giving her strength. "Let's go find your brother." She said, clearly. She would never accept being stuck in this body, and having to steal souls to live. There was now way it would happen. 

Kohaku nodded. "You're right, we need to continue." Kohaku and Kikyou lead the way together, and the shinidamachuu were gliding along Kikyou. Kagura was looking downward at her feet as she walked. It wasn't Sango and Inuyasha she was worried about; It was Kikyou and Inuyasha. Inuyasha loved Kikyou. She stayed in the back of the group, and watched as Kikyou and Kohaku joined hands. She spread her fan in front of her face, so the others wouldn't see her tears. She knew that that embrace had meant more than it seemed. 

"We're almost there." Miroku stated, clearly. "I can sense an evil aura a ways ahead." Before they could get any further, though, they heard someone speak. 'Poison powder' were the words spoken. A light green cloud of dust formed all around them all. All of them save Kouga, that is. The party coughed into their hands, though The poison did not affect Kikyou. 

Kouga tried to help them, but the hiraikotsu blocked his way. Sango walked out from behind a few trees. She charged at him with her katana, saying nothing. ~This isn't Sango.. This is..~ before he could finish that thought, he saw Sango just about to strike. Kouga attempted to jump out of the way, but it was too late. Sango's katana formed a deep gash across his gut. He fell on his back, and everything went black. 

When Kouga awakened, his wound had bandages over it and Kikyou was looking down at him. "Are you all right?" She asked, with a looked of concern. He slowly brought himself to his feet. "I'm fine... What happened?" Kikyou smiled. "Kagura managed to sweep away the poison with her fan before it harmed any of us. But..." She hesitated, and her smile turned into a frown. "But what? What happened?" Kouga asked, looking worried. Kikyou sighed. "She took your jewel shards." 

Kouga looked down at his legs, and found that Kikyou was correct. "Then she left." She said, looking around. "Good, you're awake." Kohaku said, cutting off Kouga who looked as though he were about to say something. "Let's go." They nodded, and continued on. "Don't mention it to him..." Kikyou whispered, obviously talking about Kohaku. Kouga nodded. 

After another short walk, Kohaku lead them into a small clearing. They were the only ones in the clearing, though. Naraku, Kanna, and Shippou were there. "Sesshomaru!" Kohaku yelled, clenching his teeth. Naraku turned to look at him, and you could tell because he wasn't wearing the baboon cloak. He was expressionless, and for a few seconds just stared at Kohaku. "Your actions make it very easy to classify who you truly are... Inuyasha." Naraku said, quietly. 

"Nice guess." He spat, and Naraku smirked. Listen, Sesshomaru. I need your help so we can get back to our own bodies." He stared at him coldly for a few seconds, then nodded. "All right, little brother. But know this -- just because I am helping you, doesn't mean that I don't want you dead." Kohaku nodded. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing." 


	5. A Party of Nine

Disclaimer: Again, Inuyasha is not mine. Please Review! 

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"M-Master!" Shippou squeaked, in astonishment. "You do not truly intend on helping them, do you?!" His question was returned by a harsh glare from Naraku. "Yes, I do." He stated, making it obvious that he did not wish to dwell on the subject. Kanna smiled, yet Shippou could not get that surprised look off of his face. Naraku ignored him, and turned to Kohaku. "How do you plan to return us to our normal forms, little brother?" 

Kohaku hesitated. "Naraku is going to help us." He remained silent, but Shippou shrieked. "NARAKU?! That fiend! You cannot trust him! Lord Sesshomaru, you *know* he tried to kill you before!" Naraku glared down at him. "Silence, Jaken." Miroku twitched at Shippou's outburst. "You can't think that we actually *want* to help that bastard and his minions!" Kikyou nodded. "We all hate Naraku, and Sesshomaru may be able to figure out how to reverse this.." "So we could change it back ourselves and kill Naraku!" Miroku announced, confidently. Naraku frowned. 

"And tell me... Kouga, isn't it? Tell me Kouga... What exactly do you take me for?" Naraku asked, speaking sternly. Miroku blinked, with a clueless expression on his face. "Don't you think that there may even be a slight chance that I've tried to fix this before?" Miroku blinked again. "Hm... didn't think of that." Naraku glared at him. "It would seem that you didn't." Kagura's eyes widened. "So you've tried it already?" "Of course I have." Kagura sighed. "Then we'll have to return to the castle." Kouga said, stating the thoughts of all of them. "For now, at least." 

"What are you suggesting?" Kikyou asked, with a blink. "As much as I hate to admit it, Naraku isn't an idiot. Don't you think he'd expect an attack the second after all of this ends?" Kouga nodded. "Hai, he would. We need to devise a plan..." 

"In case you forgot.." Kohaku began, with anger in his voice. "We don't have the time to plan ahead! It was in the middle of the night when I caused this to happen, and it's almost sunset now!" Naraku raised his eyebrow. "Oh, so you are to blame for this aren't you, little brother?" Miroku nodded. "Does it really surprise you that much?" He asked, as both he and Naraku glared at Kohaku. "Not at all." Naraku stated, in a way that seemed very insulting. Kohaku twitched. "You two had better start writing up your last wills!" He swatted at them with his hand, but as soon as his hand hit Naraku's arm it felt like he broke a bone. "Itai!!" He yelled, and began rubbing his hand as Naraku and Miroku laughed. Kohaku was muttering angrily about nothing in particular, but words such as 'stupid' and 'human' and 'weak' could be made out. 

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you inu-koro?" Miroku taunted, and Kohaku held up the blade of the kusarikama. "I'm gonna make you regret that, you-!" Before he managed to say what he was, Kagura spread out her arms in between them. "Guys! We've got to work together, at least for now!" Kohaku crossed his arms. "Feh, they're not worth it anyway." It looked as though he was going to say more, but was halted by a harsh glare from Kagome. "Now then!" She clapped her hands together and smiled. "I want all of you guys to apologize to each other!" ~I've got to keep things positive, at least for now. After all, *someone* has to keep things peaceful in this group.~ 

Neither of the three, Naraku, Miroku, or Kohaku, said anything. They were just staring at Kagura as though she were some kind of freak at the circus who little kids threw tomatoes at. She sighed. "Fine then, Don't apologize! Just stop fighting, all right?" There was another pause. She made a small 'ahem' noise. "ALL RIGHT?!" Kohaku put away the kusarikama. "Feh, whatever." Kagome smiled again. "Okay then, It's settled! We're going to work together, go to the castle, and change everything to the way it used to be! Who's with me?" There were small murmurs amongst the group, forming words such as 'yeah' or 'sure' or 'fine' or 'whatever'. 

Kagura sighed, but apparently that was good enough for her. "Okay~! Since all of you couldn't possibly fit on one of my feathers, we're going to walk! Come on guys, follow me! We're going to go get our bodies back!" She lead the way. ~You can't get along with anybody, can you Inuyasha? You're so stubborn...~ She thought. Jaken was following her closely. ~There's no way I could survive being this ugly! I hope we don't get there too late!~ Alongside Jaken was Kohaku. ~Those jerks... I'll have them cowering in fear once i get my claws back!~ Behind them were Kikyou ~I can't live by stealing the souls of young women... I just can't!~ and Kouga ~Damn you, Naraku! What is it that you're planning?~ 

Then following behind them were Miroku ~What if we don't succeed? Damnit, Kagome's my woman! Not Kagura!~ and Naraku ~Litlle brother has some very... odd... companions.~ and Kanna, walking next to Naraku. ~Sesshomaru-sama's brothers' friend is weird!~ In the very back of the group was Shippou, who was frequently glancing up at Naraku. ~Lord Sesshomaru, how can you work with this half breed scum?! This is an outrage I tell you! AN OUTRAGE!~ 


	6. One Shard Left

Diclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine, and he never will be. *sigh* the truth hurts... 

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Sesshomaru was sitting in an open room in the castle. His eyes were closed, and he remained still. a wooden door to his right was slid open, and The young girl from the modern era entered. She walked in, and following her was Rin, who slid the door shut behind them. "Any news upon their arrival, master?" Kagome asked, looking down at Sesshomaru. 

His eyes opened, and didn't even bother glancing in the direction of the two. "My body joins them now. It will not be long." He paused for a moment, then spoke again. "It would be much easier to predict their arrival if we had Kanna's mirror. But now, she is worthless." He said, harshly. Rin spoke not a word, but glanced down at the floor in shame. Kagome paid no attention to this. 

"Master..." she began, hesitantly. "Are you sure that your plan will work? That they will come here, and not figure out how to end this on their own? They do possess both your body and the sphere..." With that, Sesshomaru glared harshly at Kagome. "Fool... You assume that I would allow that to happen? Well, you are incorrect. They no longer posses my artifact. It was taken from them not that long ago." Kagome looked shocked. "Nani? What do you mean by that, master?" Sesshomaru chuckled evilly. "What I mean is none of your concern. Just know that they do not have it, and probably haven't even realized it's gone missing." Kagome bowed her head "Hai, hai. But there is still one other thing that concerns me." 

Sesshomaru was obviously a bit annoyed by the tone of voice he responded with. "What is it now?" Kagome hesitated. "The shikon no tama. You don't have that fragment anymore!" Sesshomaru chuckled softly. "You are wrong again. I do have it. My body does." Kagura glared down at him. "You know what I mean! It is in the enemy's possession! How could you react so calmly about such a thing?" He remained motionless. "Calm down, Kagura. We have all of what is not fused with that fragment. All save three, and two have just arrived." Kagome was just about to ask what he meant by that, but he stood up and slid open a door leading outside. 

He slowly stepped out, and Kagome and Rin followed him. Sesshomaru has his attention on a demon exterminator standing ahead of him. "Kikyou. I see you have arrived." He said, with a smirk on his face. "Do you have them?" Soundlessly, Sango held up two jewel shards and a dark green sphere. Sesshomaru's smirk widened. "Very good." He said, in a somewhat teasing way, as he held out his hand. Sango narrowed her eyes. "Our bargain?" 

Sesshomaru chuckled evilly. "Of course. Kagura, go fetch Kohaku." He ordered, and Kagome nodded and backed away into the castle. Shortly after, she returned outside. Inuyasha had followed her out. Sesshomaru gave his a sideways glance and smirked. He then turned back to Sango. "Now, be a good little girl and hand them over." Sango glared at him with great dislike, but approached the demon slowly. When she was nearly right in front of him, she turned her wrist around, and the sphere along with the two shards dropped to the ground. Rin took a few steps foreword and leaned down to pick them up, trying in whatever way she could to be useful. After she had the three items, she returned to her position next to Kagura. 

"Well?" Sango asked, expectantly. "Yes, of course." Sesshomaru said, looking over at Inuyasha. "Kohaku, for now you shall travel with her, to ensure that no harm comes to Inuyasha's body." Inuyasha nodded obediently. "Yes, Master Naraku." Sango seemed, at the very least, satisfied. ~Curse you, Naraku.~ She thought. She didn't want to steal from the real Inuyasha, but she didn't want him to die either. If Inuyasha's body died, then his spirit would have no place to return to if they managed to get back in their own bodies. In other words, if the body dies, the owner of that body would as well. 

Sango turned her back on them to leave, and Inuyasha followed. They had only gotten a few yard away from them, however, when Inuyasha came to a stop. He heard a voice in his mind, and not a very comforting one at that. ~Kohaku, you know what I expect of you. Do it now.~ The voice was Sesshomaru's. Inuyasha's eyes darkened, and he resumed following Sango. "Kikyou.." Inuyasha said, tonelessly. Sango turned around to face him, but as soon as she had done that she felt a strong fist charging into her stomach. She gave out a small cry and clutched her wounded area, but soon enough passed out onto her back. 

Sesshomaru smirked yet again. "Kohaku, take her in there." He said, gesturing towards one of the many small rooms in his castle. "You will be her guard; see to it that she does not escape." Inuyasha nodded. "Yes, Master Naraku." He did as he was commanded. Rin held the shards and the sphere up to Sesshomaru. He took them, and the three of them went back into the castle. Sesshomaru set the shards down with the others he's collected onto a small cloth. He kept the sphere in his palm, and held it up to observe it. ~I was suck a fool back then...~ He thought, narrowing his eyes. ~I created this item... In hopes of putting my enemy into a human body, and mine in that of a youkai. I never intended upon this happening...~ 

He tightened his grasp around the sphere, and Kagome noticed this. "Master?" She asked, though she detested calling him that. Sesshomaru relaxed, and glanced at Kagome. "When will they arrive?" He asked, and Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated on the large shard owned by Naraku's body. She opened her eyes again, and spoke to reveal their location. "They're here." 

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TM: Chapter six, and I still don't have a single review? Do you even like my story?   
Inuyasha: No, they don't.   
TM: What are you talking about? Of course they do!   
Inuyasha: They don't, and you know it!   
TM: ...Shut up! Anyway, I refuse to update untill I get at least one review! Got that? ONE REVIEW!   
Inuyasha: Oh yeah, that makes them want to review now. They must be really encouraged to waste two minutes of their precious time to get another chapter of this crap.   
TM: I'm not gonna talk to you anymore... 


	7. The Return to who they are

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any of the other characters in Inuyasha. However, I do have reviews! Arigatou, Sesshomaru-sama! 

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"What do you mean you LOST it?!" Miroku yelled. The whole group has been arguing about many pointless things, and Kagura gave recently gave up on trying to prevent this. This new conflict, however, had a point to it. Kohaku had just realized that he didn't have the sphere anymore. 

"You idiot! Now what're we supposed to do?! I can't go on looking like this perverted monk!" He said, which turned Kouga's head. "Oh, and this form is better?" He asked, and Miroku snapped back "Yes, it is!" Kouga was about to say something, but Kikyou raised her voice. "Guys, stop fighting! If you haven't noticed, we've arrived! If any of you had taken the time to glance ahead, then you'd realize that Naraku's castle is straight ahead!" Everyone glanced ahead to see that this was indeed true. They were nearly within the boundaries of Naraku's castle. 

Kohaku lead the others towards the main room, where Sesshomaru slid open the door to greet them. He put a smirk on his face. "I see you have come, and brought your brother as well. Very good." He said, causing Kohaku scowl. Then he gasped, catching sight of the sphere in his palm. "How the hell did you get that?" He demanded, and Sesshomaru chuckled softly. "It was a present." He said, "From Kikyou." 

Kohaku blinked, then glared at him with hate in his eyes. "That's a lie!" This only caused Sesshomaru to chuckle again. "It is not. Kikyou brought me the sphere as well as the jewel shards she stole from you. She made me promise that I would do nothing to harm your body. She was a fool, for just as she lowered her guard..." Sesshomaru chuckled evilly again, and Kohaku had gotten very angrily. "Bastard! What have you done to her!?" He was amusing Sesshomaru. "Don't worry, she isn't dead. Not yet." 

He could no longer restrain himself. Kohaku darted foreword at Sesshomaru, but he had barely gotten far when Kouga got hold of his arm and held him back. "Let go of me!" He spat, struggling to get free. "You best control that temper of yours." Miroku said, warningly. "Remember, the only way you can have your own body back is with his help. So try to hold back your rage, at least for now." Kohaku stopped struggling, and Kouga released him. 

Naraku walked towards Sesshomaru, and motioned for the others to stay where they were. He stopped when he was face to face with his own body, and narrowed his eyes. "If you want your hanyou body back," He hissed quietly, "than I suggest you give me that sphere and tell me how to do it. Now." He demanded, and Sesshomaru's expression clearly showed that he despised being called a hanyou. "Very well." He said coldly, and dropped the sphere into Naraku's extended hand. "Control it with your mind. First, you have to activate it." Sesshomaru instructed, and Naraku concentrated on the sphere. 

Rin, who had been secretly and silently watching glanced over at Kagome and gave a small nod. Kagome nodded in return, walked into another room, and shut the door behind her. 

Naraku's concentration on the object caused it to hover a few inches above his hand. "It's not fully activated. Concentrate harder." Sesshomaru said, and Naraku followed his instructions. 

Kagome was alone in the room. She knew that she couldn't waste any time. quickly, she reached behind her back and pulled an arrow out of her quiver. 

The levitating sphere began to glow brightly. "Good." Sesshomaru said, "You've activated it. There's one final thing you must do." There was a pause. "Well?" Naraku asked, impatiently. "Out with it!" Sesshomaru began to speak slowly. "Tell it what you want it to do, but most importantly..." He paused again. "Keep on your mind..." Another pause. "The color that caused this." He said, and a small scream could be heard from one of the rooms. 

"Green." He finished, and smirked. Kohaku and the others wanted to know what caused the scream, but Naraku's mind was focused on the sphere. In a moment, the sphere shone bright green. Beams of light shot out from the sphere in different directions, and each of the beams shot towards each of them, temporarily blinding them before they were struck. 

When they were able to see again, 'Naraku' was no longer Naraku. He was now in his own body; the body of Sesshomaru. The sphere, which was above the real Naraku's hand, disintegrated. Rin found herself in the castle behind Naraku and Sesshomaru, and quickly scurried over by the inu youkai's side. Sango found a would in her back, and she along with Inuyasha were alone in a room of the castle. Inuyasha blinked. "So I'm where Kohaku was in my body, and you're where Kikyou was in your body?" "Pretty much" Sango confirmed, grinning. 

They were themselves again. 

Inuyasha looked around hastily. "Are the others all right? And what was that scream? Come on, Sango!" He yelled and he charged outside, with Sango following him. He saw that all of them have reformed into their 'groups.' Miroku was with Shippou, Rin and Jaken were alongside Sesshomaru, Naraku had Kagura, Kanna, and Kohaku behind him, and Kouga and Kikyou were alone. Inuyasha paused. "Wait a minute... Where's Kagome?" He wondered aloud, and then he froze. 

"Oh God no." He uttered, and tore open the door of the room where he had her scent. The sight wasn't the least bit comforting. Sango, Miroku, and Shippou ran after him and peered into the room. Sango gasped. "Dear God, no." She whispered, the moment she saw what was in that room. It was Kagome. Lying down on the ground, covered in blood. Her hand was tightened around an arrow that was stabbed through her heart. 

Kagome was dead. 

Naraku cackled evilly. Kanna held up to him a the small napkin like cloth that had jewel shards lying on it. He picked them up, and took out his own shard. He joined the pieces together. It was almost completed, and only one more shard was needed. "Kohaku." Naraku said quietly, and beckoned him over to him. Kohaku's eyes were blank, and he walked up ahead of Naraku, stopping directly in front of him. Naraku's eyes were set on the small glowing object in his back. His lifeline. 

Sango jerked her head towards Kohaku; she had seen what had happened out of the corner of her eye. "Kohaku!" She yelled, and ran towards her brother with an extended hand. Naraku didn't pay any attention to her. "You are no longer of use to me." He said, and reached for the shard. Kohaku blinked, as though he just fully understood what was happening. He turned his head to look at Naraku in fear. "What? N--" Naraku had removed the shard before he could finish saying the word no. Kohaku fell to the ground on his chest. Sango was still running. He wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead! "Wake up Kohaku, wake up!" She pleaded once she reached him. He didn't move. Sango's tears fell to the ground, and Naraku looked down at her with a satisfied grin. 

"Kagome is dead. Kohaku is dead." He said, combining the two fragments. "And the shikon no tama is complete. There is no hope for you now. Tonight, you will all die!" He announced, and Inuyasha and Miroku gave him harsh glares. 

"You're wrong, Naraku!" Inuyasha yelled. "There is something we can do!" Naraku looked over at him. "Really? And what is that?" He asked, softly. Inuyasha unsheathed the tetsusaiga. "How about I show you instead?" 

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Ooooh how terrible! And to think, I've planned this all along... 


	8. Hope

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. 

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Naraku smirked. "Nothing you do will change your fate." He hissed. Inuyasha charged at him with the tetsusaiga, but he easily dodged it. Miroku, Sango, and Sesshomaru attacked as well, but they were doing no better. It was mainly in between Inuyasha and Naraku. Inuyasha would attack, yet all Naraku did was dodge. Kagura and Kanna were up against Kouga and Kikyou. 

Inuyasha glared at the others. "This is too dangerous! Leave Naraku to me!" He hollered back at them, turning back to Naraku just in time to dodge another one of his attacks. "No way!" Miroku yelled. "We all have our reasons for fighting him, Inuyasha! This bastard killed my brother!" Sango said, while throwing the hiraikotsu at Naraku, who dodged it. "You're mistaken if you think that you can defeat Naraku all by yourself, little brother." Sesshomaru said softly. Their messages were clear; they weren't going to leave him. 

Kagura and Kanna seemed to have the upper hand, due to the fact that Kanna's mirror continuously reflected All of Kouga's attacks. Kagura had a hard time dodging all of Kikyou's arrows, but Kagura's wind powers gave her the upper hand. "Damnit!" Kouga yelled, loosing his temper. "I can't touch that kid as long as she has that mirror!" He attacked again, only to get it deflected. 

The tetsusaiga was hitting nothing save the air. ~Damnit, hold still!~ Inuyasha thought, angrily. He was too focused on offense, that he was using little effort to defend himself. Time almost seemed to slow down as he could feel Naraku's katana piercing through his stomach. The pain was almost unbearable, and to make matters worse Naraku turned the blade. The tetsusaiga fell from his hand as he fell backwards and the katana was being pulled from his body. "Inuyasha!" Sango and Miroku exclaimed in unison, hurrying over to his aid. He raised his head to see Naraku pick up the tetsusaiga, and began to growl. 

His thoughts were concentrated on Naraku. ~That bastard... How dare he take my-- Wait a minute!~ Inuyasha slowly rose to his feet, twitching a bit at his injury. He raised his hand and pointed a claw at Naraku. "Y-You're a hanyou!" He spat at the fiend. Sango and Miroku soon realized this was true. How else could he touch the tetsusaiga? He had human blood in him. Naraku glared at Inuyasha, his eyes burning with hatred. Inuyasha smirked. "That explains a lot. The reason you're after the jewel; your love for--" "SILENCE!" He shouted. The tetsusaiga transformed. "How do you like this fate?" Naraku hissed, evilly. "Destroyed by the sword your father left for you. The one that's supposed to protect you." Inuyasha glared at him. That wasn't going to happen. Naraku smirked. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. I won't kill you just yet. First..." His smirk widened. 

"You will be the last to die, and just like Kohaku and Kagome, you will witness it all. There's nothing you can do about to prevent it. You will watch as I kill all of your allies, one by one. I know who I'll start with, too." Naraku glanced over at Kikyou, and smirked yet again. Inuyasha's eyes widened. Kagura used her wind powers to knock Kikyou's bow out of her hands, and Naraku turned directly to her. He began walking, with the fully transformed tetsusaiga. 

The anger that was inside Inuyasha was far beyond anything he had experienced before. His rage was building up inside of him, as his eyes flickered a blood red color. Kikyou's eyes widened. "Inuyasha, don't! Do not let the demon blood take control!" She pleaded. He hadn't listened. There was just one thing on his mind as he stared at Naraku. Kill. 

His eyes were red, and his claws and fangs were bigger. Kikyou's tears streamed down her cheeks. He couldn't stand to see Inuyasha like this. He charged at Naraku, with a desire to kill. They all watched as Inuyasha repeatedly attacked Naraku, and how he was repeatedly knocked down. 

Kikyou stared at him with somber eyes. "What's happened to you..." She whispered, fearfully. "Inuyasha, you're dying!" She yelled. Inuyasha stopped when he was about to attack. He looked over at Kikyou, and growled angrily. Kikyou walked towards him. "Kikyou, what are you doing? It's not safe!" Sango yelled. "Get away from him! He's been taken by the demon!" Miroku shouted. "There isn't anything you or anyone else can do, Kikyou." Naraku said, softly. "There is no hope." He told her. 

She was still approaching Inuyasha, and his growling got louder. "No hope?" She repeated, softly. "There is always hope, Naraku. I am not going to give it up." She slowly walked closer, until she and Inuyasha were face to face. "You're mad!" Naraku shouted. Kikyou warmly embraced Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, please." She spoke softly, "Don't leave me." 

His growling ceased. ~What's going on?~ He thought. ~This isn't who I truly am! Has the demon taken my soul? Is... Is it to late... for me?~ Kikyou's voice echoed through his mind. 'There is always hope, and I am not going to give it up.' He looked down and saw Kikyou embracing her. ~That's it!~ His mind exclaimed. ~I'm not going to give up. I will not allow myself to be taken by demon blood!~ 

Inuyasha's eyes became white again, and his claws and fangs shortened. He wrapped her arms around Kikyou. "I'm back." He said, softly. "Kikyou, get your bow." He whispered in her ear. "Together, you and I will get rid of Naraku. Once and for all." 

Kikyou understood, and left Inuyasha's side. Naraku glared at him. "It matters not what form you are in, Inuyasha. It--" "It won't change my fate." Inuyasha finished. "Yeah, whatever. I'd appreciate it if you stopped repeating yourself so we can get back to our fight." He said, and extended his claws. Naraku glared at him. No more wasting time. "Die." He hissed, charging at him and raising the tetsusaiga to split him on two. 

Inuyasha was taken aback because he was so quick, and tried to avoid it. No good; the tetsusaiga struck his head. Inuyasha blinked, and looked up at the sword. It was nothing more than a rusty blade. He caught sight of an arrow lying on the ground below it, and glanced over at Kikyou. 

She had reversed the transformation. "Sankon Tetsusou!" Inuyasha yelled quickly, slashing at Naraku's arm and successfully removing it. It fell to the ground, and Inuyasha picked it up. After removing the tetsusaiga, the arm flew from his hand and re-attacked to Naraku's body. Sesshomaru glared at Naraku, upset about the fact that he could put his body back together. 

The tetsusaiga transformed in Inuyasha's hands. It was time to end it. 

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Review, please! And don't give me any crap about you guys hating Kikyou, okay? I think she's cool. If you hate her, then go find another fic and don't waste your time complaining in a review. 


	9. The Battle comes to an End

I don't really know what to say, so... here's chapter nine ^_^ 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha. Not. Mine. 

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Kikyou returned to the battle against Kagura and Kanna. Kouga's left leg had been seriously wounded due to Kagura's wind blades. "Stop attacking them!" Kikyou scolded. Kouga glared up at her. "So you're suggesting that I just sit here and let them kill me?" He asked, sarcastically. "No." Kikyou told him. She lowered her voice. "As soon as I release an arrow, strike Kanna." She said. Kouga looked at her like she was out of her mind. "Are you sure that will work? One plain arrow won't do anything!" He hissed. 

She glanced at him. "Which is why I am going to release a sacred arrow. Now, get ready to act!" Kikyou whispered, and quickly got an arrow from her quiver. She placed it in her bow, and pulled back the string. She fired, and Kouga swiftly followed it. The arrow struck Kanna's mirror, and it shattered. Kanna let out a quiet gasp, but that was the last sound she made alive. Kouga tore her in two with his mighty wolf claws, and then turned to the astonished Kagura with a smirk. "It's your turn now." 

Naraku chuckled at what he saw. "You have become weaker, and yet you still think you can defeat me?" He asked. Inuyasha clenched his teeth. "Will you just shut the hell up and fight me?!" He yelled. Naraku held up his sword. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you wished to die so quickly." He said, as he brought the blade down upon Inuyasha. He blocked it with the tetsusaiga, and Naraku jumped backwards. Inuyasha ran at him with the tetsusaiga raised. Naraku jumped aside, and created a deep cut down Inuyasha's arm. "Too slow." 

Inuyasha winced at the pain, but did his best to ignore it as he charged at Naraku again. He jumped out of the way again, and stabbed his sword through his shoulder. Inuyasha yelled out in pain as he fell down on his knees. His breathing was hard. ~I can't do it. I can't defeat him.~ Is what his mind clearly stated. He didn't look as though he was going to get up. "Inuyasha, are you giving up already?" He heard the soft voice of his brother behind him. Inuyasha said nothing. "Keh." He heard his brother mutter. "You truly are pathetic. You've come so far already, and here you are, putting your tail between your legs." 

The hanyou twitched. Pathetic?! Him?! Never! He held the tetsusaiga vertically against the ground to help him get up. Inuyasha grinned. He'd show Sesshomaru. 

Naraku looked at him in disbelief. "Why won't you die?!" He exclaimed. "Even if you are a hanyou, you should be dead by now!" He yelled. Inuyasha smiled. "I'm a lot tougher than you think." He said, and brought his sword down on Naraku. He had jumped out of the way again, and tried to attack Inuyasha, but he was ready for another cheap shot and slashed off Naraku's arm again. And again, Naraku's arm reattached itself to his body. Naraku leaped back, and glared at Inuyasha. Inuyasha leaped up in the air. 

"Kaze no kizu!" He yelled, and his attack was right on target. Inuyasha wasn't the only one that had attacked Naraku at that time, though. Miroku had thrown his staff, Shippou had released fox fire, Sango had thrown her hiraikotsu, Sesshomaru had used his dokkasou attack, Kouga had thrown his katana, Kagura had released wind blades from her fan, and Kikyou had shot a sacred arrow. Together, all of the attacks created a small explosion. 

When the smoke of their explosion cleared, Naraku was gone. All that remained was the shikon no tama and Kagura's heart. Naraku was finally defeated. 

Inuyasha looked around. "Is it possible? has Naraku really died, or is it some sort of trap?" He asked. "No, Inuyasha, It's all right! Look!" Miroku said, and removes the beads and cloth from his right hand. "Where's the wind tunnel?" Shippou asked, with a blink. Sango smiled. "It's gone, Shippou. And so is Naraku." 

Kagura walked towards Naraku's death spot, and picked up her heart. "Why?" Kouga asked, "Why did you help kill Naraku?" Kouga's question caused all of them to gaze at Kagura. "Simple," She replied, "I hate him." Kagura pulled a feather out of her hair, and fled. 

Kikyou stood right where Naraku was before he had died. She closed her eyes. "Farewell, Onigumo." She said, quietly and opened her eyes again. Leaning down, she picked up the shikon no tama. Inuyasha blinked. "Hey, Kikyou, what are you going to--" "Inuyasha, find me once you've decided what you want to do with the jewel. Until then, I shall protect it." Kikyou said, and she too left. Watching as she left, Inuyasha whispered her name softly. She was no longer dead. Kagome's soul had returned to her, which transformed her body from a clay model and restored her life. 

Turning back to look at everyone, Inuyasha smiled. It was nice to have good friends like these. He turned to face Sesshomaru. "I showed you!" He gloated. "You thought I was a coward, but I proved you wrong!" Inuyasha smirked. Sesshomaru remained calm, but showed a small smile. "So you have." 

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Yay! They finially won! Only one chapter left to conclude the story! Review, please! 


	10. Live On

Chapter 10, and the conclusion of my story! Yay! I'm actually thinking about making a sequal. I even have a pretty good idea on what I'm going to do, too! Heh. Well, If I do make one, it won't be for a while. Anyways, Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. 

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One week later. 

Inuyasha, Shippou, Sango, and Miroku were standing in the village. Sango was about to leave the group, and Kirara was in her demon form, standing beside her. They all politely said their good-bye's, and Sango was about to leap upon her feline companion. Something had stopped her, though. Miroku had grabbed her arm. "Don't go. Not yet." He said, softly. "Come on, Shippou." Inuyasha murmured to the small kitsune. 

He blinked. "Why?" Shippou asked, looking up at him. "I wanna stay here and say good-bye to Sango!" He exclaimed. "Put me down!" He yelled, when Inuyasha held him up by his tail and began to walk away. Shippou was yelling in a frustrated way as Inuyasha carried him into Kaede's hut. 

Sango looked at Miroku, who was looking down on the ground. He grinned. "Heh. I've never done this before." Miroku murmured. She blinked. "Done what?" She asked, curiously. Miroku raised his head, and looked her straight in the eye. "Sango, I, um..." "Yes?" Sango asked, blinking again. Miroku took a deep breath. "I love you." 

Sango immediately blushed, and then looked back at Miroku. "Miroku, I--" "Sango... would you, um, consider... I mean, um.." He seemed very nervous, which was a bit odd for Miroku. "Sango, will you marry me?" He asked. Sango looked up at him. "Yes." She said, and threw her arms around him. Miroku was slightly taken aback, but he returned the embrace, closing his eyes and smiling. 

~~~ 

The hanyou watched this as he was leaned against Kaede's hut. "Heh." He murmured, softly. Then he walked away, smiling. He had ventured into the forest, and picked a couple of pretty white flowers. Then, he headed back to the village. 

Inuyasha stood alone at Kagome's grave. His head was down, and the flowers were in his hand. "Hey Kagome. How've you been?" He asked, quietly. His voice was very passionate. "Guess I was afraid to come here before... I brought you some flowers." He said, setting them down in front of her gravestone. "I'm sorry. I wasn't there to save you." He said. A tear dropped to the ground. 

"I could have been there. I could have saved you! But I..." He looked deeply ashamed. "I didn't." He whispered. "It's my fault you're dead. It's all my fault..." More tears fell. "I'm not going to use the jewel to become a demon, Kagome. I don't think it's what you would have wanted." He said. 

"Kagome... Please forgive me. I can't be with you. Kikyou and I are going to get married." He said, with guilt. "You must understand, Kagome. I love her. I will always think of you, Kagome." He said, warmly. "I will protect your soul with my life, by protecting Kikyou like I never could you. That I promise." He told the grave. 

"I'm Sorry..." 

~~~ 

Inuyasha walked quietly through his forest. His head had still been down, but then he looked up as he entered a small clearing, and saw a giant tree. The Go-Shinboku Tree. But that wasn't the only thing there. leaning against the tree was Kikyou. She looked up at him. He returned the gaze. "Have you decided yet, Inuyasha?" She asked. "I have." He responded. 

Kikyou nodded, and they walked to eachother. They held hands, with the jewel in the middle. They both closed there eyes. Inuyasha spoke softly. "I wish to become human." 

The jewel in their hands glew bright pink. The light was blinding, and grew large covering them both. Then, the light shrunk down showing the two again. The jewel was no longer in their hands, and they both slowly opened there eyes. Inuyasha was frozen in shock. "I... I'm not human..." He said, withdrawing his hands and observing the claws. 

"Kikyou, what--" He gasped when he looked up at her. "Kikyou, you... you're..." Kikyou did not reply. She was looking down at her hands, which were now claws. Kikyou had become a hanyou. and inu hanyou, too. She looked up at Inuyasha. "The jewel did not grant your wish. it did the opposite to the wrong person." 

"But why?" He asked, blinking. "That even I do not know." She said. This certainly was odd, but they'd have to deal with it. 

~~~ 

"Kikyou, are you coming?" Inuyasha asked, as he was leaning against a tree in a forest clearing. "One moment, Inuyasha. There is something I must do." She said, calmly. Inuyasha blinked. "Well, you'd better hurry up. I can't wait all day." He said, and Kikyou nodded. She walked into the boundaries Village of Kaede, which wasn't very far from that spot in the forest. 

She looked down at a gravestone, with flowers placed at its base. It was Kagome's grave. "You are nothing now. You don't even have a soul." Kikyou said, quietly. She closed her eyes, and her hanyou body began to glow brightly. A fraction of her soul, which appeared to be a small white orb, left her body. It slowly moved foreword, and then hovered down into the dirt where Kagome's body lie. 

Kikyou smiled ever so slightly. Then she turned around, and began to walk away. "Live on, Higurashi." She said, and went back to Inuyasha. Hand in hand, the couple walked away, and disappeared into the setting sun. 

**The End **

**?**


End file.
